Among the conventionally-known vehicle front body structures are ones where damper housings each for mounting a damper of a front suspension are inserted in respective front side frames, each of which has a channel sectional shape and disposed near a left or right front wheel to extend in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, to thereby achieve an increased strength of the front side frames. One example of such vehicle front body structures is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. HEI-05-85410 (JP 05-85410 A). In the vehicle front body structure disclosed in JP 05-85410 A, however, each of the damper housings is of a dual structure comprising two plates disposed in substantial parallel to each other. Thus, the disclosed front body structure is complicated in construction and time-consuming to manufacture. Further, in the disclosed front body structure, loads from the damper housings would concentrate on inserting joint sections of the corresponding front side frames in which respective underside portions of the damper housings are inserted, so that the front side frames tend to be deformed easily.
Also known are vehicle front body structures where a sub frame is mounted to left and right front side frames of an engine room. For example, a rectangular sub frame is connected at its two front intersecting sections to the front side frames from below in such a manner that the sub frame is collapsible at its opposed intermediate portions at the time of collision against an external object. One example of such vehicle front body structures is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-240738 (JP 2002-240738 A).
Also known are vehicle front body structures where front side frames and a sub frame are fixedly interconnected via front and rear connection members in such a manner that the sub frame is deformable downward at the time of collision against an external object. One example of such vehicle front body structures is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-186125 (JP 2007-186125 A).
However, the vehicle front body structures disclosed in JP 2002-240738 A and JP 2007-186125 A would present the problem that, as an upward load is applied from the sub frame to the front side frames, connection sections of the front side frames easily collapse inwardly.